I'm just stating observations based on what we've seen thus far, at least as far as what is available and publicly-known. I make no claims to having any classified information, nor am I am able to read the minds of China's leaders.
As for my observations, it seems that they were probably much greater threat when there was still a strong revolutionary fervor and anger against the U.S. and against the KMT was at a high level. The U.S. was pledged to defend Taiwan and still considered them to be the legitimate Chinese government in the decades following. So, it was kind of a stand-off until we ourselves decided to reverse that, but still maintaining our pledge to defend Taiwan if China ever attacked.
China seemed to be okay with that arrangement and did business with our government, and their enmity with the USSR combined with US pressure from the West caused the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Taiwan's status was never fully settled, but they were still productive and strong economic ties - even if they weren't really fully recognized by us or very many other nations of the world as an actual state. China has clearly benefited by its economic ties with the West as well, and it's entirely possible that China and Taiwan could reconcile and voluntarily come together without force or intimidation. What possible reason could they have for throwing all that away over some snit between two dead rivals that happened 75 years ago?
There's no sense to it. There's no logic to it. Do you really believe they're that crazy? Seriously?
